Page 3828 - Week 12 - Thursday, 29 October 2015
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the growing interest in small-scale beekeeping. Without a registration system there is no reliable data about the keeping of bees in the ACT. Nonetheless there are guesstimates that perhaps there are 300 to 600 beekeepers, but this figure varies depending on the source of information, and some place the figure much higher than this.
Given available anecdotal information and information from the Beekeeping Association of the ACT on its membership, it can be surmised that beekeepers in Canberra are largely backyard hobbyists and can be characterised as urban beekeepers or cottage industry. Hives are rarely moved and the number of hives owned per beekeeper is relatively small. This profile is the focus of the proposed registration system which will also capture small-scale commercial ventures of fewer than 50 hives.
On available information there are no large commercial producers in the ACT, although it is known that a number of commercial New South Wales producers will at times have hives in the ACT region. Any large commercial producer operating in the region will inevitably require New South Wales registration. This is appropriate not only because the producer is operating in that jurisdiction but because New South Wales legislation deals with beekeeping in the agricultural context. Large-scale commercial production is an agricultural and primary industry concern. In this context bees are stock which not only produce honey but are also vital in agricultural crop pollination.
The bill I am introducing today takes this background into consideration. It works on the basis of registering, under ACT legislation, only beekeepers whose hives are exclusively located in the ACT. This will capture urban beekeepers, cottage industry beekeepers and small commercial producers. Large commercial producers will not need to register on the basis that they will already have New South Wales registration.
The overarching aim of the registration scheme is to link up with the other states to complete national coverage. A dual system where a beekeeper needs to register in more than one jurisdiction is, at least in the territory’s case, unnecessary and would mean additional red tape which is avoided by the model proposed in this bill. ACT registration is not required if a beekeeper has New South Wales registration.
The bill I am introducing creates a central register of contact details for beekeepers in the ACT. The legislation also provides that other relevant information can be collected and held in the register, such as the number of hives owned. Beekeepers will need to register only every three years, updating contact details if these change. Beekeepers will also be required to keep records on the number of hives, the movement of hives and the buying and selling of hives, for use in the event of a biosecurity incident.
Three-year registration will significantly reduce the cost of a registration scheme and reduce the impact of red tape on beekeepers. For the first time in many years there will be a source of information that will allow authorised officers under the Animal Diseases Act to have the ability to quickly identify and contact beekeepers. It will also include the ability to seek additional information about how many hives are kept and the nature of beekeeping in the ACT.
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